Shaded Heart
by Zeppelin
Summary: After Errol is defeated, Jak tries to settle down, cope with his father's death and just settle in. But, when a mistake comes back to haunt him... Revised.
1. Something to Think About

LightEcoDragonRider: I do not own any of the characters or species (Metal Heads, Precursors etc.) in this story.

This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic, though I've been reading for quite a time. I really like the Jak fanfics 'Rain From a Drunken Sky' and 'Next Generation' both of which are located convenienty on this site.

Rated for T for some of the best reasons; language, action, and romance.

Warning, Jak2 & 3 spoilers! You're not going to understand much unless you've played all three Jak games.

LightEcoKing: Yeah it's still me. I changed my name. And it's still the same story, I'm just adding more and more to it. The first few are almost the same, but the chapters later on will start altering the story. It's something good for both the old fans and the new! And, just a side note; to anyone who was following the story Daeronth, it's been deleted. My ideas were really very out of place and confusing, and I wasn't really sure where I was going. In short, it was a whim that I followed and I got five or six good chapters, but, well, you don't really write a story like that, unless you're Tolkien. Expect it to be back up within a month or two.

(LINE BREAK)

It was late morning and Jak Mar rose almost reluctantly out of bed. He'd gotten virtually no sleep the night before. After the hero's welcome he'd gotten when he'd returned to Haven City, and the overall rush one feels after they save the planet from total annihilation, Jak felt lonely. Not only lonely, but extremely sad and depressed. Damas had been his father, and the former king of Spargus had never found out. He had died without knowing where his son was, and for that, Jak felt more hatred towards Count Veger than he had towards Errol, the Dark Makers, or any one of the numerous enemies he'd made in the last three years.

His sleep had been filled with dreams, but there was one which more vivid than all the others. He was climbing up a mountain, somewhere that reminded him of the hills in Sandover. He had known he was supposed to meet someone important, someone vital to his life, but when he got to the mountain's peak, he saw Damas.

"You're alive!" Jak cried.

Damas said nothing, but smiled and held out his arms for an embrace. As Jak ran to hug his newfound father, the muscled forearms of Damas turned into the dark blue sleeves of Count Veger's jacket. The Count held him fast and he found himself unable to fight the deadly embrace. Veger siezed Jak by the shoulders and pushed him off the mountain.

Jak couldn't help wonder about the dream as he rose from his cot-like matress in the back of the Naughty Ottsel, splashed water on his face, and put on one of the numerous blue tunics that lined across his closet. "I might need to go shopping," Jak muttered to no one in particular.

He made his way slowly, grogily to the bar of pub. Daxter sat idly atop a stool, sipping a glass of milk. The last time Jak had seen Daxter drink milk, they had been in Sandover, and Daxter was an elf. The ottsel grinned up at his friend.

"How'd you sleep buddy?" Without waiting for an answer, Daxter plowed on. "Listen Jak, you can never _really_ appreciate women until you've had one in the sack, you know what I'm saying? Oh boy if the boys back in Sandover found out that I lost my virginity before you... Hey, what are you doing?"

Jak had reached behind the bar to pull out a bottle of Wasteland's Brew. Jeysen, a Wastelander, had created the heavy alcoholic brew about fifteen years ago by boiling the roots of a flower from the vast desert and blending it with large amounts of alchohol. As Jak proceeded to chug the bottle down, Daxter leapt up and siezed it from him.

"Are off your Yakow?" The orange ottsel cried as he stowed the half-empty bottle behind the bar. "We serve that stuff in shot glasses!"

He softened as he took another look at his best friend. Their last adventure had been rough on Jak. Not only had Jak lost his father just as he learned the truth, but he'd somehow come to terms with his differences. He wasn't a normal elf, by anyone's standards. Even Daxter, who was a completly different species (albeit a revered one) fit in more than Jak.

He looked up at Jak, who had been proven on several occasions to be an elf who could hold his liquor. "Are you alright Jak?"

Jak pounded his fist on the table, upsetting numerous bottles, including Daxter's milk. Daxter ignored it, reaching up on the tips of his paws to pat Jak on the shoulder.

"Of course I'm not alright!" Jak's toned softened slightly as he looked at Daxter. "Dax, I know I should be happy. I just saved the world right?"

On any other occasion, Daxter would have added a sharp reminder that it was "they" who had saved the world. . . . No, however, he just nodded though, allowing Jak vent.

"But Dax, now that we've destroyed Errol, destroyed the Metal Heads, I need to realize, that I've got nothing."

"Oh sure you do Jak. You can help run the bar with me and Tess. You can race for Kiera's team or work at her garage. Didn't Torn promise you a spot on the Freedom League? And then there's Kiera. I think she likes you Jak, and you've always liked her."

"It's not like she wants anything to do with me. I'm either a demon or an angel. But bottomline, I'm a freak. I mean, what would the sex be like?"

Daxter forced himself to keep a straight face, despite the stenuous temptation to laugh. "Remember what Seem said though. The Light and Dark Eco balance each other out-"

"Seem is an idiot Dax." Jak didn't yell. He wasn't being irrational. He was just stating a fact. Daxter nodded in agreement. Who could argue?

Jak was interrupted in his ranting as the door to the bar was pushed roughly in. Torn, strode in, followed by Ashelin and a flushed Kiera. Jak hoped that his breath, combined with the alcohol and the fact that he'd just woken up, wouldn't throw anyone off. Daxter hadn't seemed fazed, but he was set firmly in the good friend mode.

"Jak, I need you to check out a disturbance in Main Town."

"No!" Kiera yelled at the top of her lungs. Torn looked back at her with annoyance etched in his face. "Are you still here?"

"What's going on?" Jak asked, confused.

"Torn wants you down in Main Town, but Kiera and I think you need a rest."

Jak grinned in spite of himself and folded his arms behind his head, relishing the look on Torn's face. "Thanks for the concern guys. I actually am feeling kind of tired. Maybe I'll take the day off. . . ."

Torn glared around at the entire bar, and then stalked off, coming to sit in the Hellcat he had parked outside.

"Um, Jak, could I talk to you?" Ashelin said. Her voice sounded urgent as she pulled Jak quickly to the corner.

"Jak I just wanted to- Did you just wake up?" She stopped mid-sentence, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah." Jak ran a hand through his hair sheepishly.

"Nevermind that." Ashelin said, though she took a step away from Jak. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday when we came to meet you in the desert. When we-"

"Kissed?" Jak finished off her sentence. "Yeah I've been meaning to talk to you about that. We both had a lot of adrenaline that day, and, well, I mean-"

"You didn't mean to kiss me?" Ashelin asked, getting into the 'let's finish each others sentances!' game. "The same goes for me."

"Yeah that's, that's great to know," Jak said with relief. The day had suddenley brightened. "I actually kind of like Kiera."

Ashelin stole a glance at the green-haired mechanic. "Kiera? That's great! Maybe you guys could double date with me and Torn, we've been looking for a couple to be friends with."

"Yeah, that would be great," said Jak, who could not imagine anything worse, and would gladly face the vengeful offspring of Cyber Errol and Metal Kor rather than attend such an event.

"Okay, I'll see you." And she ran outside to meet Torn who had been reduced to honking the Hellcat's horn obnoxiously.

Jak turned to Kiera, who was enjoying toast with Daxter and Tess (who had woken by this time). "So what's up Jak?" Kiera asked between a mouthful of toast spread with Wumpbee honey.

"Nothing," he said, grabbing a slice of bread from the platter before Daxter's greedy paws had finished to whole thing off. "But listen, do you know if Onin does dream interpretation?"

Kiera shrugged. "I dunno," she replied. "Maybe she does. Why, you had a dream?"

Jak nodded. "It's kind of confusing. I think I'll go see her. I just need to brush my teeth."

When Jak was out of earshot, Daxter muttered, "Hell yeah."

(LINE BREAK)

Kiera, who was morally opposed to hijacking zoomers, (it takes so much work just to build one, and you've crashed about seventy since you first arrived in Haven!) had forced Jak to walk with her to Onin's. Jak wasn't complaining though. He had a chance to talk to Kiera for the first time, really ever. They talked about everything from whether Ashelin would make a good leader to where Jak should finally buy a house. Jak missed the weight on his shoulder, but Kiera made up for it. He was almost surprised when they reached Onin's hut.

Upon their entry, Pecker groaned. He was sitting in his usual perche which overlooked the entrance of the tent. "I knew you were coming." Pecker said. "I just hoped there would be a zoomer accident. Where is the rat?"

"Home." Jak said. "Listen I-"

"Is this his replacement? Onin did not mention her." Pecker ran a wing slowly through Kiera's hair, squaking as Jak pushed him back roughly.

"Listen Pecker, does Onin do a dream intrepretation?" Jak asked placing himself slightly in front of Kiera.

"Yeah yeah, go ahead tell me, ah her, the dream."

And Jak recounted his dream. It was hard for him to do so, and he was astonished when stinging tears found themselves in his eyes. Kiera put her hand in his as he plowed on. Finally he looked up. Pecker was stroking his beak thoughtfully.

"Onin says the mountain represents your journey, which led up to the demise of your father. She says that, althouh you were victorious, your one great triumph, finding your father, was taken from you at the last moment. Veger appeared in your dream, because it was he who had separated the Mar's."

"So what's next? For me I mean? There obviously aren't anymore adventures . . . everyone's taken care of. And the Jak trilogy's over, the fans know about the Precursors and Daxter and I are supposed to get our gaming royalties in the mail any day now."

"There is someone who will enter your life, someone who will throw you off your course, and though you will eventually triumph over them, another great journey looms in the distance. A great journey, and an even greater threat."

Jak glanced at Kiera. "Thank you." He held rose, held out his hand, and pulled Kiera up.

"Goodbye." And they left together.

LightEcoKing: That was the first chapter. I know it was a bit corny with Jak and Ashelin, but I wanted to clear that up fast as I could. I _loathe _JakxAshelin romances, almost as much as I do JakxDaxter. A few chapters on I'll be introducing an OC. I'll have time to get at least one more chapter up, seeing as I can't post any stories until March 26th . . . what an annoying rule.


	2. Jak Mistake

LightEcoDragonRider: No, I do not own Jak, Daxter, Kiera, Metal Heads, Precursors, etc. If I did why the heck would I be using this busted up Power Spec computer!

Thanks Light-Eco-Sage for reviewing! You'll just have to see what the choice is. Unfortuneatly, the options are presented to him at the end so everyone will have to wait and see what it is! Muhuhahaha!

I know you guys might be upset because I'm tampering with Metal Head biology and such, but just bear with me. The story is kinda slow moving, but is should speed up sometime before Chapter 5. Enjoy!

Chapter II: Jak's Mistake

"She said WHAT?" Torn pounded his fist on the table. Everyone concerned with the fight for Haven City was there. Kiera and Tess were sharing a chair, Daxter was on Jak's shoulder, Samos the Sage hovered nearby, Ashelin and Torn were bent over a holo-map, and Sig was leaning against a wall in a corner.

Jak had just repeated Onin's words to Torn. "A new threat? How? You kicked Errol ass, Kor's history, what the hell could possibly challenge us now?"

Samos suddenly interrupted. "Jak, when you killed Kor, did you actually see him die?" Jak nodded, and Daxter added, "We toasted his ass good."

Samos ignored Daxter. "Did you see something appear? Like a large skull gem?" Jak nodded, wondering what the Green Eco Sage was getting at. The sage continued. "Well did you shoot it?" Jak shook his head. It was deathly quiet, even Daxter had stopped talking. Samos roared with anger.

"Damn it boy! That Skull Gem was a giant egg sack which contained a mass of Metal Head embryos, all of which will have all the power of Kor himself. If you had destroyed it, we could have easily eradicated all the Metal Heads within a thousand mile radius for at least ten years!" Samos's healthy green complexion had reddened with anger and he was panting angrily.

Torn's eyes widened. "You hear that blonde? Metal Head free for ten years. Just enough time for us to rebuild the city and maybe construct a subway system from Haven to Spargus. Screwed, thanks to you!"

Kiera interrupted. "Hey, give Jak some credit, if it weren't for him Errol would probably be ruling the city now." Everyone shuddered, knowing exactly the kind of cruel, merciless leader Errol would have been, and Jak looked at Kiera gratefully. Torn turned to Samos who was burrowing into a book entitled _Metal Heads, the Complete History._

"It says here that if not destroyed, those Metal Head embryos will undergo rapid cell division resulting in about a thousand Metal Heads. All of these Metal Heads will have intellect and cunning equal to Kor. And each of these has an egg sack inside of them. They take different forms however, so it will be harder to find and kill them all, and they would be widespread throughout the region." He sighed. "Jak, you were foolish not destroy it when you had the chance." An eternal silence ensued, followed by Sig and Daxter simultaneously saying,

"What the hell are we waiting for, let's get to blastin'!"

Samos held up a had for silence. "Not so fast. We need to plan. The first order of buisness is to send word to Spargus. Make sure they're well prepared for an assault. Then we need to arm ourselves." He turned to the leader of the Krimzon Guard. "Reconstruction will have to wait. You also must prepare your men for unspeakable horrors. The Metal Heads won't stop until they've killed every elf in this city." Torn nodded, and he Sig, and Ashelin left the room. Sig would probably head over to Spargus and get the Wastelanders ready, and Torn and Ashelin would assemble the celebrating KG's and give them the bad news.

Samos then looked up at Jak and Daxter. "Jak, you will have to find the new Metal Head Nests. There're bound to be at least five, probably more. The Metal Heads like to build their nests high, but the nests are always connected directly to the ground, where the Metal Heads harvest Dark Eco from deep in the core of this planet. If you can sever the connection, the whole nest will eventually be destroyed, and in an inconspicuous manner. But first, you'll have to find out where the nests are. For this, you'll have to follow a Metal Head all the way back. I suggest you leave Daxter behind, or he may sneeze and ruin the whole mission." Daxter put up a paw in protest, but Jak silenced him with a look.

Samos continued. "I suggest you go and get some rest, practice the gun course a few times, and get ready for hard times ahead my boy. Kiera, Tess, the Wastelanders and the Krimzon Guards will need weapons and vehicles. I'm sure you'll oblige?"

Tess nodded and Kiera said, "Of course Daddy." Samos sighed and slumped into a chair, the Metal Head book clutched in his hands. Jak, with Daxter still on his shoulder, left for the Naughty Ottsel.

Three hours later, Jak was in his room at the Naught Ottsel. He'd been to the Gun Course alone and had taken out his fury on cardboard Metal Heads. He came back to the Naughty Ottsel to find that Daxter and Tess were at it again. Trying to ignore the noises from next door, he sat on his bed, head cradled in his hands. It was his fault. Hundreds of KG's and Wastelanders would die because of him. He could have ended every thing by popping a Vulcan Fury clip at the thing, but had thought it an oversized skull gem. These thoughts jumped frantiaclly around his head until there was a knock of his door.

"Hello?" he called out, his voice hoarse. He half expected to see Torn come and yell at him, but he was greeted by an entirely different person.

Kiera's emerald eyes were clouded with fear and uncertainty. She had seen Jak, once before when he was angry. He had devolved into a senseless brute, a savage killing machine. It was the only time she had been afraid of Jak. She cautiously aproached where he was sitting on the bed and sat by him. She said nothing, because she knew words were all but meaningless at that moment. She just put her arms around Jak.

Jak was startled by her sudden appearance, but he didn't care. He decided what he needed was a shoulder to cry on, and the rock hard fortress that he had rebuilt after Damas died crumbled instantly. Hesitantly at first, he let the tears flow. Then he let loose everything he had been bottling up, from the cruel Dark Eco experiments of the Baron, to the death of Damas and the new threat they were all soon about to face.

A few minutes later Jak looked up at Kiera. The white cotton that covered her shoulder was damp with his tears. "Thanks," he said. "I guess I needed that." Kiera smiled at him. "Anytime Jak."

She made a move to rise, but Jak gently stayed her. Hesitantly, uncertainly, he leaned toward Kiera, and she met him halfway. She felt a curious sensation as their lips connected. It was as if something in the pit of her stomach shifted. When she came up for air, she looked at Jak. Her eyes widened.

Suddenly, she broke away from his embrace. She rose,staring almost fearfully at him. And then, she fled as though she had seen a ghost.

LightEcoDragonRider: Ooooooooh. Well well well. Jak and Kiera just made out! Was it genuine love and passion, or were they simply caught up in the heat of the moment! Read and find out.

You guys do me a favor and review.


	3. Pyrah

LightEcoDragonRider: Do we really need to go through this again? I don't own the Jak and Dax universe. I'm just borrowing it.

This chapter is pretty jam-packed. We get an OC (Pyrah) Jak takes down one of several Metal Head nests, and gets TWO weapons, only one of them is a gun. Confused? Well read on!

Chapter III: Pyrah

Haven City Naughty Ottsel

Jak woke the next morning heavily slumped on the of the Naughty Ottsel. Tess was standing over him, shaking her head disaprovingly. He thought she was extrodinary. She went through the change from human to ottsel a lot smoother than Daxter had done.

"Are you okay Jak? We saw you here early in the morning with a bottle of Desert Whiskey, so naturally we were worried." Tess's voice had a maternal air to it that would have been funny if Jak hadn't been so incredibly wasted. He sighed, shaking the groginess from his head.

Tess shuffled behind the counter before pulling out a bottle filled with bright red liquid. Jak squinted. "What the hell is that?"

Tess extended the bottle with a paw. "Just drink it down." she said. "You'll feel a lot better."

Jak shrugged and chugged the entire bottle without a second0- thought. A moment later, his taste buds exploded. He gasped at the smirking Tess.

"Shit Tess! What the hell is this!"

The ottsel smiled, a grin that looked suspiciously like Daxter's. "Ottsel Sauce. Do you like it? Daxter and I are thinking of expanding this place into a bar _and_ grill." Jak swalloed hard and rasped, "Maybe you need to dilute it."

For the second time in two days, Torn stormed into the Naughty Ottsel, eyes blaring. "Well blonde, while you were snoring your ass off, me and my KG's fought off an attack of Metal Heads. None of them were clones," he added. "We hit one of them with a tracking device and let him go, hoping he'd lead us to a Metal Head nest."

"And?" All of Jak's former groginess disappeared. Torn, for the first time in days, didn't seem downright pissed.

"We saw millions of Metal Heads on the holo-map, assembled un an unspecified location in the desert. We got a nest. And Jak, might want to do some training."

Haven City Gun Course

The rest of the morning and afternoon were spent in intense training. Jak practiced with all of his guns, mostly the Plasmite RPG and all three of the Peace Maker mods. When he wasn't practicing, Daxter (yes Daxter) was using the Morph Gun, as he would be riding shotgun. While one had the Morph Gun, the other would do push-ups and sit-ups. By the time they finished, Daxter's orange fur was damp, and sweaty.

As they turned off the lights and got ready to leave, Kiera entered the building. Her green eyes were pointed downward, and she fumbled with a piece of metal in her hands. Looking at the floor, she said, "Tess and I were working on this mod a while before you defeated Errol. It's called the Dragon's Breath. It's still a prototype though, so don't lose it." She handed it to Jak, carefully avoiding his eyes.

Daxter whooped as Jak connected it to the Morph Gun. "Turn the lights back on and let's try this baby out!"

"No!" For the first time, Kiera looked up and was caught into Jak's hypnotic, crystal blue gaze. She shook herself slightly. "It expells a highly poisonous gas, which will be useful for taking out the Metal Head hordes you'll meet at the nest. It's a one-shot kind of gun, so use it carefully."

Jak nodded, and Daxter said, "Well buddy, it's crunch time."

"Hey Dax, could you wait for me back at the Naught Ottsel?" Daxter hopped off his shoulder without a second thought.

As the orange ottsel scampered onto the street in the direction of his bar, Jak looked at Kiera. He opened his mouth, but she caught him off.

"Look Jak, there's nothing to say. Yesterday was, well it's like this gun, a one time kind of thing. I think we shouldn't bring it up again." Kiera looked at Jak. He looked at her, hurt showing in his eyes, but not on his face. Silently, he mover passed her slender frame and outside.

Mentally, Kiera reprimanded herself. She seemed to lose herself around Jak, especially these days. The days when he had first emerged from the Baron's palace, she hadn't felt this way. She had pitied him. He'd been a mess. His hair was long and unkempt, and his anger had been uncontrollable. Now Jak was different. He'd proven himself to be a powerful fighter, and a great hero.

She sighed as she swung a leg around her zoomer. She had to admit, she had always been smitten with him, even in their days in Sandover when he'd been a mute. She didn't know if what she was feeling now was puppy love or something deeper.

Jak stalked angrily to the Naughty Ottsel. He pounded his fist in frustration. Sure he had saved the planet on more than one occasion, faced Lurkers, Metal Heads, Dark Eco Sages, Dark Makers, and even a bloodthirsty cyborg without fear, but now more than ever, he wished Damas were here. A father-son talk was exactly what he needed right now. He knew he'd had these feelings for Kiera since the Sandover days, but, then again, so had Daxter, and every boy for miles and miles. Jak, not being able to talk, hadn't really felt he had a chance. Now, things could be diferent, but he needed to know that Kiera felt the same way. He was tempted to go to Torn, as the Krimzon Gaurd leader had a different girl at his place almost every night, but if Jak him about his problem, Torn would never let him live it down, and it would eventually get back to Kiera.

He arrived at the Naughty Ottsel. Torn and Daxter were the only ones there, besides the usual pool playing, alchohol-consuming crowd. Torn had a holo-map on. In the west, past Spargus, was a cluster of grey dots, too many to count. Torn pointed.

"We're almost positive this is a nest. You two need to be careful, one sound could wake the whole nest, and then, you guys are screwed. The Shadow says there is a main connector between the actual nest, and the parts that go into the ground. I saw a picture of it, it's filled with Dark Eco, which they feed on. Instead of that inconspicuous bull shit, you shoot the hell out of that thing and it explodes, killing almost all the Metal Heads. Make sure you take out ALL of them, and Samos says you should start collecting skull gems again. There's an Oracle at the foot of the mountains in the Wasteland, and it could help boost your...um, your abilities."

Jak sighed, knowing he was referring to his dark eco powers. He looked at Torn, who had called one of the men at a nearby pool table over.

"Jak, this is Pyrah. He's an elite Krimzon Guard, and I'm sending him with you as backup, got it?"

Daxter leapt up at this, and stared Pyrah straight in the eye. He looked well enough, with light brown eyes, tanned skin, and neatly cut dark hair. He was lean and muscled, and was strapped with considerable weaponry.

"Hey there pretty boy, we don't take kindly to strangers, so just sit tight, keep quiet, and let us do the shooting, got it?" Jak smacked Daxter in the back of the head and grinned apolagetically at Pyrah.

"Hi, I'm Jak, and you've met Daxter." He held out a hand to Pyrah who shook it vigorously. "Pleased to meet you, and let me say it's an honor."

Daxter rose, recovered from Jak's slap. "Listen Torn, this pansy better not get in our way."

Fifteen minutes later, Jak, Daxter, and Pyrah were strapped in a light, two-seated zoomer. Jak drove speedily past the walls that seperated Haven City from the desert. He drove following Pyrah's instructions. The Krimzon Guard's eyes were focused on the holo-map, giving directions. Occasionaly, Daxter would take out a stray Metal Head with the Morph Gun.

It became apparent when they were nearing the nest. Metal Heads were a lot more common, and Daxter had decided to conserve ammno.

Jak stopped suddenly. "We're here."

Before them was what could only be described as a giant tree. It had a greyish trunk, with a thick, disc-shaped platform at the top. It had a curcumference of about two miles, and it in the dark, it was impossible to see it's entire breadth. Clearly visible, at the center of the trunk was a giant, sphere. Inside, it could be seen that it was filled with Dark Eco. More Dark Eco than Jak had ever seen. From there, Jak inched closer, so as to not arouse supicion. When the finally arrived near the base of the trunk, Jak looked up and said, "So what's the plan?"

Pyrah began to pace around the tree. Finally, he looked up and said, "I think it's possible to rotate that Dark Eco... ball. From how I see it, if we can get the Eco to explode near the side that has more Metal Heads, in this case, the left side, it'll take down more than half of the Metal Heads. The other portion should be taken out by the blast, and then you'll be able to go around collecting the shiny stuff before we head out. What do you think?"

Jak nodded. "Good a plan as any. But how do we get that thing to move?" He looked at Pyrah, who quickly got the gyst.

"You and I are two small." They both looked at Daxter. His eyes widened as he realized what he was being asked to do. He raised one of three fingers on the orange paw. "Oh n-" Jak swooped down and clasped a hand over the ottsel's mouth.

"Don't you see Dax, only you can fit on that hanging vine. You get up there, push that thing CAREFULLY and climb back down. Simple."

Daxter glared at Jak. "I'm gonna regret this later." With a martyristic sigh, he hopped onto a long, grey vine, and climbed. He was more than halfway up, when a stray Metal Head leapt sudddenly at him.

The scream had barely erupted from Daxter's throat when Pyrah took out a flat looking rifle and sliced the Metal Head in two with disc shaped bullet. "Go!" he whipered urgently, and Daxter, moving quicker now, reached the huge, eco filled sphere. With all the strength in his tiny ottsel body, he pushed the eco container out of it's groove, so that it didn't fit as comfortably, and was slightly hanging off of the edge.

"Excellent!" Pyrah said, as Daxter jumped down and landed on all fours. He brushed off his beloved pants, did a moonwalk, and high-fived both Jak and Pyrah beofre jumping back on Jak's shoulder. Jak, wasting no time, switched the setting on his Morph Gun to the Plasmite RPG, and took aim very carefully. After selecting the best angle, he fired.

The following explosion was spectacular. A good three-fourths of the nest broke off; Metal Heads were utterly consumed by the Dark Eco on which they fed. Unfortunatley, the last part of the nest was carried by a sudden strong updraft, and landed roughly on the ground.

"RUN!" Jak yelled. Daxter leapt off Jak, and Pyrah jumed into the zoomer to get it ready for a quick escape. Jak switched the mods on his Morph Gun until he found the Dragon's Breath the Kiera had given him. Hastily, he pulled the trigger, and a small, black and green caplsule exploded from the barrel. Jak was confused. _'What the hell?' _ Suddenly, the capsule exploded, expelling a green colored gas. The effect was instantaneous. As Jak dove into the zoomer, the remaining Metal Heads were struck down, killed simultaneously, and the gass dissapeared.

"Whoo!" Daxter racously cried, plunging his fist into the air. Jak was now scouring the area for any egg sacks. Daxter took out three with the Vulcan Fury. He was suprisingly accurate with the Morph Gun.

After they finished this, Jak hopped out to collect the Skull Gems. There were thousands. He picked up as many as he could carry, and sped the zoomer in the direction of the foot of the mountains.

"Sorry guys, I need to stop here for a bit. I'll be back soon," Jak said as he got out of the zoomer and walked toward the giant oracle.

Jak had always felt dimly connected to the oracle's. They had helped him control his dark powers, something he would be eternally grateful for.

The oracle spoke in it's deep, masterful voice.

"Greetings great warrior. Challenges you are to face, perhaps greater than any of your previous adventures. For the task ahead, I grant you an ancient tool, which goes hand in hand with your darkness."

Jak felt himself suddenly lifting off the ground. As the oracle changed him into Dark Jak, he felt a portion of Dark Eco leave him. The eco was reconstructing itself in midair, into the shape of a sword. As Jak, feeling drained, landed on the floor, the eco sword clanged to the ground, hidden behind a scabbard. He picked it up, and unsheathed it. The blade was long, the steel the black-greyish color of Dark Jak's horns. The hilt was pale white, with a dark, violet gem in the center, the color of Dark Eco.

"I don't understand," he said, more to himself than the oracle. The ancient Precursor-built structure looked at him with a blaring blue gaze.

"Deep beneath these mountains, near the core of this planet, eco ore is found. That ore, infused with the amount of Dark Eco in your body gave birth to this. Be wary when you wield it, and make sure it is always filled with Dark Eco." With that, the oracle seemed to shut down, the bright light dimming until it was darkness. Suddenly exhausted, Jak slipped the covered sword onto his belt, stumbled back to the zoomer. Pyrah took one look at him and said, "I'd better drive."

LightEcoDragonRider: I know the whole Eco Sword was pretty corny, but what can I say, I like swords! I wanted to give Jak a new Dark power, but couldn't think of anything. BTW, do you guys know if I'm supposed to capitalize the word eco? I was thinking only if there was a word in front of it (ie. Dark Eco, Green Eco) but I wasn't sure.

Also, if you plan on reviewing (PLEASE!) let me know what you think of my OC, Pyrah. I mean I dedicated an entire chapter to him, so you know he'll be important sometime through.


	4. Shea

LightEcoDragonRider: Here we go again!

Thanks to LightEcoSage for reviewing!

Chapter IV: Shea

Jak, Daxter, and Pyrah walked into the Naughty Ottsel to tumultuous cheering and applause. Daxter immediatly took to bowing, exemplifying his humbleness, or lack thereof. Pyrah and Jak, far more modest, sat at a table with Torn, Sig, and Ashelin. Sig and Ashelin congratulated the two (Daxter was submerged in a nearby crowd, recounting details of his bravery).

Torn merely squinted and said,"How many egg sacks did you take out?"

Jak grimaced. "Three or four," was the sullen reply.

Torn shook his head. "Then there's nothing to be celebrating about. Come to Freedom HQ tomorrow 'round seven. Jinx and a couple other members of the Underground stumbled upon something while they were patrolling the sewers. It's important, so be there." With that, Torn left. closely followed by Ashelin.

Sig turned to Jak now, a huge bottle of rum in his spade-shaped hands. "Jak, I took a hoverbus to Spargus yesterday, like Big Green told me to. Turns out the people of Spargus wanna hear it from you." Sig looked a little hurt as he said this. "Seeing as you're their new king and everything."

Jak nodded, feeling sick. He was a fighter, not a leader, and anyone who knew him would say the same. Nevertheless, he would go. What other choice did he have? He turned to his right to see that Pyrah had left. He glanced at the bar and saw him, sitting near Kiera. He said something funny, and she flung her green hair back. Subconsciously, Jak felt his hand inching towards the new Dark Eco sword he'd acquired.

"Jak?" Jak spared Sig a glance before turning back to Kiera. "What is it?" Jak sharlpy responded.

"No I was just wondering, what is that thing anyway?" Sig motioned toward the long sword.

"Oh, this? It's some sword I got. Something to do with my Dark Eco powers." Without thinking, Jak drew the sword from it's sheath. Momentarily, the entire saloon was cast in an eerie violet light which seemed to stem from the odd dark gem set in the center of the hilt.

Jak hastily put it away before it caused a commotion. Sig nodded in approval as Jak quickly turned back to the Pyrah-Kiera situation. As though to spite him for drawing the sword in the first place, Kiera snuggled closer to Pyrah, who wrapped a protective arm around her.

Jak turned to Sig. "What could she see in him?" Jak whispered angrily to Sig. Sig sighed.

"Well, he is the Krimzon Guard leader. Pretty strong, not much for looks but he's a pretty good guy, and she can't mind the tatooes too much since she has the same kind."

Jak looked at Sig. "Who the hell are you talking about? I'm talking about those two." He inclined his head at Kiera and Pyrah.

Sig stared. "I was talking about Torn and Ashelin. Haven't you seen them? I caught a glimpse of them this afternoon at Headquarters, and let me tell you Cherry, it wasn't pretty."

Jak rose. "Whatever Sig, I've had enough of this crap." He rose and strode over to Kiera, who saw him out of the corner of his eye.

Pyrah raised his glass in greeting. "Hey Jak, this is-" Jak cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"I know who this is. Kiera, could I talk to you over there for a minute?" If Jak had been in a normal mood, he would've seen the word PISSED written in red and stamped on Kiera's forehead. But, as he was suffering from extreme jealousy, he led Kiera to an empty corner.

"What the hell do you want Jak?" Kiera said sharply. Jak faltered, taken aback. Kiera had never talked to him like that before. Jak plowed on.

"Kiera what are you doing?" He asked, nearly yelling. Three nearby tables tuned into the conversation.

"Well, I _was_ enjoying a drink with my new friend Pyrah, and now I'm standing here like an idiot, waiting to see what you have to say!"

"Kiera, I need to tell you that I like you. Maybe even more then that. That kiss, it really meant something. I don't know how you felt about it but..." He stopped as Kiera covered his mouth with her hand.

"Jak, if you felt this way before, you should have said something. We've known each other our whole lives, and you tell me this now?"

Jak glared at angrily. "Our whole lives. Sorry, but don't you think it would've been just a little hard to tell you when I couldn't talk?"

"You could have told me sooner than now!" Kiera flung her arms up in deperation. "Like at the garage for example!"

"Yeah, only I was a little busy saving the _fucking planet_!" Jak cried. "Twice!" he added.

"What about when you first met me at the garage?" Kiera responded. "Why didn't you tell me then?" By this time, half of the bar was listening to the conversation, snacking on complimentary Yakow Finger Meatballs smothered in Ottsel Sauce, which Daxter and Tess were handing out.

"What, with that little prick Errol running around?" Kiera's eyes widened. Jak had struck a nerve.

"Well if you loved me, even liked me as you claim, then it wouldn't have mattered who was there!" With that, she stalked out of the Naughty Ottsel. The bar goers shook their heads sympathetically as Jak ran after her.

But Kiera was quick. She had started her zoomer and turned on the igniton as Jak came running out of the Naughty Ottsel. He grabbed the tail of the zoomer as it moved it forward.

"Jak, let go!" Kiera yelled as she accelerated. They began to move, slowly at first, but then faster. Jak was clinging on for dear life. As Kiera sped up over the water that led to the Pumping Station, she braked suddenly. Jak was flung off the zoomer and he plummeted into the frigid water.

Freedom HQ

The room was packed with people. Torn had assumed his usual position in front of a holo-map, but someone else was talking. A beautiful woman with dark brown hair and glittering green eyes commanded everyone's attention. Her name was Shea. She was seated next to Torn, pointing to different points on the map.

"Well we came in through her, and killed about seventeen Metal Heads just west of there. And then Jinx and Zereth left, but I saw another Metal Head and thought I'd finish it off." She paused to show everyone where she had gone.

"What happened then?" Torn asked. Jak craned his head to get a glimpse of the map.

"Well I went over in that direction, and I would have shot it, but I saw it going in a particular direction and decided to follow. Good thing I did, because then I saw a whole group of them, at first count I'd say two-hundred plus. They were gathered around something, and I caught a glimpse of it before they found me. It was like a giant bowl of Dark Eco with a glass dome over it. The dome had three tubes that connected it. My guess was that they led out into the city streets."

There was a heavy silence after her words. The same question was in everyone's mind. Where had the Metal Heads gotten access to the technology that enabled them to manipulate Dark Eco. The nests were one thing, because it was a natural method and Metal Heads are born with that knowledge. To use Dark Eco for something was unfathomable. Even the monks of Spargus hadn't managed to do it.

Torn had risen, and he looked rather menacing. "Jak!" he spat. This has something to do with those Metal Heads, let's call them Kor-Clones for lack of a better word. Metal Heads could never do this kind of stuff before. Now I want you and Daxter to get your asses over to the sewers tonight and find out what the hell is going on. Got it?"

Jak was slightly embarrased. Torn was talking to him as though he were Jak's father, or boss. _'I suppose he is my boss though.'_ The thought had suddenly occured to him. Jak nodded, and everyone started talking at once. About different things, though. Some recounted the latest stadium races, while others talked about the problems at hand. Daxter and Tess were present. Tess passed around different Yakow products, while Daxter stood on a table.

"You can make basically anything out of Yakow meat. Sausage, steak, meatballs, chops, bacon, just from one animal. Mix in a bit of my patented Ottsel Sauce (here her produced a bottle) and it's a match! Tess is passing around some around, but they're flyin' like Flut-Flut's in the winter so get'm while they're hot!"

Jak wasn't interested in stadium races or Yakow products, and he went to the door. As he leaned against a Hellcat Cruiser, waiting for Ashelin to give him a lift, Kiera approached.

"Jak, I'm sorry. I guess I was a bit harsh yesterday. What I meant to say was you were too little too late Jak.Pyrah and I are going to- can I help you?" She said brusquely.

Shea stood watching the too with a smile on her face. It was impossible to tell if she was genuinely amused or otherwise. "No nothing, I just wanted to talk to Jak, that's all."

"Well you'll have to wait. Now, as I was saying Jak, Pyrah and I are going to dinner tomorrow night. I'm trying to move on, and I think you should too."

Jak was tempted to say that there was nothing to move on from, but instead he nodded. Kiera smiled and left, and Shea turned to Jak with her peculiar smile.

"Hi Jak, or should I say Mar? I just wanted to say that it's an honor to finally meet you. I've heard all these stories about what you've done for this city. You killed the Baron, took out the Metal Head leader, saved the planet..."

"Aparrently she's not interested in any of that though." Jak's thoughts were still on Kiera, a fact which seemed to annoy Shea.

"Forget about Kiera!" She siezed his head and turned it to face her. Once caught in her green stare, Jak couldn't look away.

"Wouldn't you like to go out sometime?" Shea asked.

Slowly Jak nodded. What better way to make Kiera jealous? Suddenly, the honest boy from Sandover siezed control.

"Sorry, but I couldn't. If I went out with you it would just be to get back at Kiera. I mean, that's not fair to you."

Far from upsetting Shea, this seemed to make her even more eager. "What do you think _she's_ doing to _you_? Do you think she really sees anything in that Pyrah? He seems so dull! Besides, you can use me, I don't mind." With that, she leaned forward and kissed him before getting on a zoomer of her own and driving off.

LightEcoDragonRider: Oooooooh! What an interesting chapter? What do you guys think Jak will do? Will he use Shea to get back at Kiera? And why would a beautiful woman like Shea want to be used as a ploy for revenge anyway?

Don't just read, REVIEW!


	5. Banished

LightEcoDragonRider:

Light-Eco-Sage: I guess you could say the choice is between love or lust, but in a way that you probably hadn't guessed.

FlyingCherry: Yeah it was my fault, the real Chapter 5 is up now.

A/N: This is a pretty important chapter. Lot of stuff happening here.

Chapter V: Back to the Desert

Naughty Ottsel 8:35 AM

Jak sat with Tess and Daxter at a booth in the Naughty Ottsel, enjoying scrambled Flut-Flut eggs. Jak was in a good mood these days. He, Daxter and Sig had just demolished another two Metal Head nests the night before, and there were only thirty-six Kor-Clones left. As for the sewers, Torn had sent a recon team and they had come back without a report on any suspicious Metal Head activity. The panic and fear that everyone had been feeling had gradually died down.

As Jak wolfed down his second helping of eggs (with three thick strips of Yakow beef bacon) the doors to the saloon opened. Daxter stood irritably on his feat. "How many times do I gotta tell these drunkies, we don't open mornings!" Jak looked ahead and saw who stood in the doorway. It was Shea.

"Hold on Dax, I know her." Jak got heavily to his feet and went to the doorway, as Dax and Tess fed him furtive looks.

"Hi Jak!" Shea exclaimed as she elegantly tossed back her long brown hair. "Listen, I thought we could go to lunch today. A new place just opened up in Main Town. Apparently they serve Yakow meet. What do you say?"

Jak spared a glance at Daxter who nodded his head vigorously. Tess had a sad expression on her face. Jak looked back at Shea.

"Well sure I guess. What time?"

"Meet me at the Gun Range at noon m'kay?" Shea nodded her head, smiled, and bounced out of the saloon.

Main Town 12:15

Jak parked the zoomer at a very ritzy looking restaraunt, and helped Shea off. He now wished he had dressed nicer. Shea had at least changed into something new and all Jak had thought to put on was his old blue tunic, which was starting to smell like metal. Looking slightly abashed as he and Shea walked into the restaraunt, Jak opened his mouth to ask for a table. Shea cut him off.

"I have a reservation. I believe it's listed under Shea?" Jak, feeling even more embarrased, stared down, looking at something on the bottom of his shoe.

"Terribly sorry madam, but we were forced to give your table to another couple."

"Well are there any more tables?"

The man shook his head woefully. "However your table seated four. If you don't mind sharing I could put you over there."

Shea sighed. "Fine, fine. Show us the way." A waiter led Jak and Shea to the table and handed them menus. Jak looked up at the couple across from him. Staring back at him, eyes menacing slits, was Kiera. Pyrah was at her side,

"Jak, Shea, nice to see you again." Kiera said. Pyrah seemed to be the only one present who that she was being sincere.

"Good to see you again Kiera!" Shea gushed, smothering Kiera's right hand in two of her own. "And Pyrah! How are you both?"

Jak groaned. It was going to be a long day.

The waiter came back to give them drinks and ask what they wanted to eat. Jak looked up, trying to ingore the man's dissaproving glance.

"Uh, I'll have a Yakow Burger, with cheese please."

"Bring me a shrimp scampi with a light garden salad, thank you." Shea said.

Kiera, still obviously annoyed, said,"Give me the grilled Flut-Flut with mashed potatoes."

Pyrah ordered a Yakow Steak with baked potato.

The twenty minutes they waited for the food were the longest in Jak's life. Shea dominated the conversation, occasionally allowing someone with quick reflexes to get a word in. Jak finished his drink and was reduced to sucking on ice cubes while an elderly woman two seats down watched disaprovingly.

"So, Kiera, how long have you known Jak?" The question was sudden, and it caught Kiera off guard.

"Um, I'd say about our whole lives, why?"

Shea shook her head, long brown curls bobbing. "Nothing, nothing, just sizing up the competition, that's all. Anything ever happen between you two? Anything...steamy?"

There was an extremely akward silence, which was broken when Jak and Pyrah began coughing at exactly the same time. Kiera was not amused.

"Look, your questions are kind of making everyone uncomfortable, so maybe we should just change the subject?"

Shea mock gasped in protest. "Why, I hope I'm not!" She demnaded of the man sitting next to her, "Jak, are you uncomfortable?"

Jak wanted to tell her that, yes, she was making him unconfortable, but he felt an need to defend his date.

"No, I'm fine," he lied. He avoided looking at Kiera. Those emerald green eyes always knew when he was lying.

"Well then, you see Kiera. You don't have feel ashamed. If you don't want to tell, I'm fine to just drop it."

This was the straw, the fateful straw, that broke the camel's back. Kiera stood up violently, knocking over the complimentary basket of bread rolls. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Kiera yelled. Furiously, she grabbed a bread roll and threw it at Shea, with suprising accuracy.

Jak rose automatically, and so did Pyrah. "I'll handle it." Jak said, and, leaving no room for argument, he strode out of the restaraunt after Kiera.

Jak knew she wouldn't be standing in a corner, sobbing. She was outside, leaning against the brick wall, breathing in. She saw Jak and began to walk away. "Leave me alone Jak."

Jak was ready. He grabbed her hand and forced her back to the wall. "Kiera," he said, his voice soft. "What's the matter?"

Kiera hated when his voice got all soft and concerned. She looked at Jak, fighting his crystal blue eyes. "Jak," she whispered. "What are we doing?"

Jak looked back at her. "I don't know." Then, tentatively, he kissed her, lightly. "But Kiera, I think I love you."

(A/N: Yeah I know this is the corniest love scene you've ever read, but c'mon, this is not my area of expertise, and it's my first fic for goodness sakes.)

1:15 Sewers

Shea had stormed off after lunch, enraged. It was not so much that Jak had blown her off for the green-haired wench. She hadn't really found Jak particularly interesting. She had dated Torn once, and he had been as good as it got. Until Ashelin came into the picture.

She pulled a flashlight from the pocket of her trousures and shined it through the dim, dark passage. _'Where the hell are they?'_

Suddenly, she found them. Or rather, they found her. A Metal Head running on all fours leapt at her. She ducked, and it crashed into the wall behind her. "Juharat! Juharat where the hell are you?"There was a flicker of light further inside the passage, and Shea looked upon a sight that would've frightened anyone. A group of about three-thousand Metal Heads, each one staring at her.

But Shea was unabashed. She strode forward comfortable, to the center of the group, ignoring the savage growls from the Metal Heads.

In the middle of the group were thirty-six Metal Heads. They all looked differently, but there was an air of leadership about them. One of them spoke.

"Have you destroyed Mar?" The Metal Heads called him by his real name.

"Not yet." There was a roar of outrage among them.

Another one Juharat, the Leader, said, "I told you your plan was foolish. Mar is too noble to succumb to seduction. You are too... eager for such things. Why didn't you lure him here as we sugested?"

"I tried, but Torn didn't send him. He sent someone else and they came back negative."

"Mar has destroyed more Metal Head nests. Our weapon is not yet ready, and if the Precursors give him the last light power, he will find and destroy it before it is fully charged. Bring him here! We must watch him die before we are satisfied!"

Shea rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I've got an idea."

1:30 PM Naughty Ottsel

Daxter walked through the back hall of the Naughty Ottsel. He stopped when he got to Jak's room and stod on the tips of his toes to reach the knob. He had Tess had been meaning to make the doors ottsel-accesible, but hadn't done it yet. He finally pushed the door open, and came upon the most unfamiliar sight he'd ever seen.

Jak sat on the bed. That was normal, Jak sat on his bed all the time. However this was the first time Daxter had seen Kiera on his lap. Jak was kissing her and she was running her slender, pale fingers through his blond hair.

"Holy shit!" Daxter swore. They immediatley looked up. Kiera's cheeks became about fifty shades redder, and Jak looked more pissed than ever.

"Daxter! Um, Jak and I were just-"

"Hey hey, you don't have to explain! I know _exactly_ what you were doin'!"

Jak glared at Daxter. "Yeah, and if it wasn't for you, we'd still be doing it. You'd better hope you have a good reason for-"

"Yeah yeah, look Torn's outside. He says it's important." Daxter left, muttering something like, "My eyes. Oh God, my eyes."

Jak emerged from the back of the Naughty Ottsel, Kiera's hand in his. He sat across from Torn, who looked at the two with distaste.

"Jak, we need you to go into the Sewers. Shea just activated a distress signal and we need you to go get her out."

Kiera frowned. "Why can't someone else go? What about Jinx, or Sig, Ashelin or Pyrah?" Kiera was not exactly willing for Jak to go into the sewers with Shea alone.

Torn shook his head. "Look, I know you two want to get back in there and all, but there are hordes of Metal Heads. Jak's powers may come in handy."

Jak nodded. "Alright, I'll go." He gave Kiera a lingering kiss on her lips before he departed. Ashelin looked at Torn.

"Why don't you ever kiss me like that?" She asked him. Torn kissed her.

"There, you happy?"

1:45 Sewers

Jak wandered through the sewers, Eco Sword held aloft. It's dark jewel provided an excellent light. He walked through, until he finally found her.

Shea was standing in the middle of two Metal Heads. "Shea! It's alright, I'm here!"

Shea laughed, a high-pitched, altogether annoying laugh. "Playing the hero has blinded you Jak! Can't you see, I'm fine? It's you who's in the immediate danger."

A Metal Head spoke. Jak was almost too suprised to hear what it said.

"Do it now."

Shea removed a pistol from her pocket. It was pointed at Jak's heart. "This is the end Jak. My friends and I think you've gone one long enough. I think it's time to end it."

Jak looked at Shea. Then he looked at the Metal Heads submerged in the center of the group. He was sure they were Kor-Clones. There were supposed to be thirty six. Slowly he counted. And that's when it hit him.

Shea saw the look of recognition on his face and laughed. "Of course Jak, you figured it out! I'm a Metal Head, just like Kor was! In a way I should thank you. If not for you killing Kor, I'd still be an embryo in the middle of his forehead. So instead of torturing you, I'll just shoot you now. Think of it as paying my debt to- Hey, what do you think your doing?"

Jak had quietly taken out his Morph Gun. It was on the Plasmite RPG setting, and pointed at the group of Metal Heads in the center.

"Do it. One twitch of my finger and your "friends" will be blown to Metal Head hell." Jak did not wait for an answer. Suddenly, he lunged at Shea, knocking the pistol out of her hands and pinning her to the ground. He recovered his gun and slowly aimed back in the center. He backed away with a run, until he had reached the end of the tunnel.

"I don't get it Jak. Why didn't you shoot?"

"No amno."

"Well why don't you kill me with your sword or something?"

"I probably should, bu I don't think Torn will believe me otherwise."

2:15 Naughty Ottsel

Torn was shaking his head, disbelievingly. "So what happened."

Jak spoke first. "She's a Metal Heads, only in disguise like Kor. Once I've been killed they're going to try and destroy the city, just like Samos predicted. Shea was their inside man. Er.. woman."

Shea shook her head, sobbing slightly. "That's n-not true. He-he came and saved me from the Metal Heads, but then he wanted some kind of reward. He-he tried to r-rape me."

Jak laughed hopelessly. "No I didn't! Why the hell would I do that?"

Torn looked Jak square in the eye. "Well it sounds a hell of a lot more plausible than that bullshit 'Shea the Metal Heads' theory."

Shea started sobbing again. "It's t-true."

Torn looked at Jak. "If you try this kind of crap with one of my most trusted officers, you get the boot. And you're lucky it's not going up your ass."

He turned to a Krimzon Guard. "Make sure he doesn't leave this spot. I'm going to get a Hoverbus that'll take you to the Wasteland."

He moved his face close to Jak's. Jak could smell the swiss cheese and ham sandwich he'd had for lunch. "And this time, you won't come back."

2:45 City Gates

The blue hover bus was, well... hovering. Torn, Sig, Kiera, Daxter, Tess, and Ashelin were present. Torn had a hard stare on his face, everyone else looked sympathetic.

"I don't believe it." Sig muttered into Ashelin's ear. "I think Torn's the only one that does."

Jak's hands were bound. He could easily have fought. He could have become Dark Jak and created a Krimzon Guard Massacre. But he hadn't. He'd let himself be chained, and now he'd try to get to Spargus.

"No one goes with him." Torn said.

"Listen Tatooed Wonder, you're here, accusing my friend of something that doesn't make any sense. You think I give a Yakow's ass what you think?" Daxter climbed up Jak's shoulder. Suprisingly, it was Jak who resisted.

"No Dax. I need to go alone." The heartbroken ottsel jumped down. Jak took a look at Kiera. She was sobbing on Ashlin's shoulder. She didn't look at him. She couldn't.

Jak boarded the hoverbus. The doors closed behind him and it sped off.

LightEcoDragon Rider: Insert Greenday's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" here if you want, it's what I was listening to while wrote this part.

I know that any Torn-fans will be pissed 'cause Torn's a jack ass (or Jak-ass lol) but don't worry, it wasn't his fault.

REVIEW!


	6. Light Perception

LightEcoDragonlRiderEqualLightEcoKing

LightEcoKing: Yeah, I changed it. Thanks FlyingCherry and Krin for reviewing.

FlyingCherry: Yeah I accidently posted Chapter IV twice. And if you were gonna say Kor-Clone, you're right!

Krin: Thanks for all of your advice. On the subject of Pyrah, he was originally set to have Shea's spot, but then I thought she would be better as a Kor-Clone than Pyrah, since Pyrah had just helped destroy a Metal-Head nest and all.

Chapter VI: Light Perception

9:00 AM Wasteland

Jak was close to death. He had been walking in the hot desert sun for hours upon hours. After trying to use his beacon to signal the people of Spargus, Jak had continued walking in the desert city's direction. It was impossible for him to reach it on foot, but there was nothing else to do but to try. Hours later, he was still walking. He felt totally and completly drained. His mouth was dry, lips hopelessly chapped, and the only moisture was his sweat, which ran from his golden hair down his face, and to his feet.

Jak slumped to the floor. His face fell into the hot desert sand, and that was when he gave up. He knew he was going to die out here.

_'So much for becoming king.'_ Jak thought to himself. With his death would come the end of Haven City and then Spargus. The Metal Heads, left unchecked, would multiply and eventually inhabit the entire planet. And, more important than anything, he would never see Kiera again. He'd had his last kiss in the Naughty Ottsel, there was no denying it.

As Jak prepared to succumb to unconsciousness once and for all, he heard a distant sound. Steadily, it became closer and louder. Jak was upset. What the hell was it that was disturbing his final moments? He forced himself to his feet, and at first, he thought it was a mirage.

The Krimzon Guard Hoverbus was flying toward him at an alarming speed. Too tired to move, he held up his hand and hoped it would stop.

It didn't.

"Oh shit! Kiera, you maniac, I think we hit something!" Daxter leapt onto the dashboard to peer outside. "It's Jak!"

Kiera stopped the hoverbus and opened the doors. She leapt outside and ran over to the front of the giant vehicle. Jak lay there. He looked dead. Undaunted by his appearence, Kiera put a hand to his heart.

"He's alive!" She called to Daxter. "But barely. Here help me get him into the bus."

With a stupendous effort, Daxter and Kiera lifted Jak into the hoverbus. Kiera took out a bottle of ice water from a cooler she'd brought. She opened it and poured some into Jak's mouth. He swalloed, still unconscious, until Daxter jumped onto his chest.

"Look buddy, we travel out here in this hot, sweltering desert to save your ass. Risking our lives to come and help you out. The least you could do is be alive when we find you!"

That did it. Jak sat up, slowly, cautiously. Without thinking, he grabbed the water bottle from Kiera's hands and chugged it down, stopping only when the bottle was drained. Breathing slowly, he looked around.

"Daxter, Kiera." His voice was raspy, and his throat hurt. Just swallowing was painful.

Kiera flung her arms around Jak. "Oh Jak, I was so worried. Everyone is. Even Torn is staring to feel a little bad. Oh gosh are you okay? Well of course you're not okay, I mean you've been stuck here all this-"

Her next words melted into Jak's mouth as he kissed her. Daxter shuddered. "I knew I should've stayed at home, I just knew it!"

10:00 AM Spargus

Jak sat on Damas's throne. It was his first time ever doing so, and it felt akward. There were thousands of people in front of him, bowing and paying homeage. Jak held up his hand for silence, and it was granted instantly.

"Thank you people of Spargus. I have come to inform you of an iminent threat. I need all able-bodied citizens of Spargus (which is almost all of you) to arm at once and prepare for war. Metal Heads may approach the city at any given moment. There is no time to explain, but we need to be ready for a full scale attack. Kliever has informed me of the mounted gun turrets. I need a man behind all of them. I want snipers at the top of the city gates, ready and waiting. And I want scouts North, South, East, and West. Report if there is any type of Metal Head related activity. That is all."

The people of Spargus vastly diferend from those who inhabited Haven City. They were quick and efficient, and in less then ten minutes, his commands had been met. Giving orders had come natural to him.

Jak sat heavily on the throne. It was stone, and very uncomfortable, and he supposed it was built like that for a reason. Leaders were not supposed to be comfortable. He rose from the throne and went to find Daxter and Kiera.

Kiera was using a communications device to speak with Ashelin. The sight of her holographic head did not frighten Jak. He sat next to Kiera and looked at Ashelin.

"Jak? It's great to see you alive again. Torn feels really-"

"Yeah yeah forget about it. Where's Shea?" Jak did not want to talk about Torn.

"No one know's where she is. Torn's sent a search team to find her."

"It won't do any good if he doesn't know where to look. She's in the sewers, I'm sure of it." Jak's voice took on a bitter tone.

"I'd better go and tell him. See you in the city Jak." Ashelin cut the connection.

Jak held his head in a hand.

Suddenly, there was a flash of blinding white light. Standing before Jak were three ottsels. The Precursors.

Daxter leapt down off of a nearby table. "Listen, guys, I owe you I really do. These pants, they're, well, awesome."

The Ottsel Leader chuckled. "Think nothing of it Daxter." He looked back at Jak.

"Listen, Jak, we don't usually do house calls, but this is important."

The Ottsel Surfer took over. "The balance of good and evil has, like, shifted. Once again, you're the hope that stands between this planet, and total annihilation. Dig?"

Jak nodded slowly. It had always been difficult to understand the Precursors. They spoke in innuendos and riddles.

"What we're trying to say is that, we've come to give you a new Light Eco ability. This should be the last, unless the dummy over there thinks up any more."

"Wait, you mean it's him who comes up with my Light powers?" Jak asked, glancing at the idiotic looking ottsel.

"Well, yes. It's called Light Perception, Jak. It enables you to sense the prescense of Dark Eco. We, we he, created it for your impending task. Hold still Jak, this will only take a moment."

The Ottsel Leader pointed his staff at Jak. There was another blinding white glare.

"Now Jak, close your eyes and think of Eco."

Jak did as he was told, and when he reopened them everything changed. He looked at Kiera. Her body was shaped the same, but it was made up entirely of Green Eco. Skin, eyes, and hair didn't exist. It was all green. All except for a tiny spot in the center of her chest which was a swirling mass of light eco. Next he looked at Daxter. He was also green, with spots of red and light eco. He looked at the Precursors, but it was as if they were not there. Jak closed his eyes again.

"Light Perception works with no consideration to distance. Try thinking of a place far away."

Jak closed his eyes again, and thought of the sewers. It was a mass of Dark Eco. Several Metal-Heads knelt working at the base of something massive.

"The weapon."

The Ottsel Leader nodded grimly. "Yes the Metal Heads have a weapon Jak, and it is charging even as we speak. It's in the Sewers, but has outlets all over the city. Once activated. Unspeakable amounts of Dark Eco will be unleashed upon the city."

Jak frowned. "Where is the eco coming from? Someone would have noticed if the city's eco was being diverted."

"Precisely. Which is why they're getting they're eco from here, in the desert. In just a few hours, the Metal Heads will have gotten the amount of eco that they need. They will activate the weapon. Haven City will be destroyed. We have given you all you need Jak. Find the eco and cut of the connection between here and the sewers. Once you have done that, you need to go into the Sewers and destroy the new Metal Head Leader, Jurahat. I garauntee that once he is dead, the rest will follow. Go quickly, and prove to us that you are worthy to be called Mar."

And with that, they vanished.

Jak walked slowly to the open window where the citizens of Spargus where gathering amno. Some were sitting atop leap

11:00 AM Freedom HQ

Torn sat on a hard, wooden chair, twisting a dreadlock menacingly between two fingers. He was wondering what had gotten into him. It was so incredibly unlikely that Jak would try anything with Shea. The prospect was laughable, but he had looked into Shea's eyes and believed. It was the same look he wore when he first met Kor. Kor had gotten so deep into his ranks before he was finally found out.

He went over his last conversation with Jak. He had called Shea "one of his most trusted officers" but in truth, he had just met her a few weeks after Jak had killed Kor.

"SHIT!" The new Krimzon Guard leader pounded his fist painfully as he came to terms with his oversight. Shea was one of the clones that had resulted from Kor's demise. She had infiltratd his ranks in the same way Kor had, and some how, he'd believed her over Jak. He looked at the time, and his heart sank. 11:00 AM. Jak was surely dead now.

12:00 AM Wasteland

"Uhhh, Jaaaaak! I'm not so good at steering this thing!" Daxter cried from the driver's side of the Sand Shark. Jak was using Light Perception. His whole body was glowing an eerie blue. Occasionally, he would rasp, "Right", or "Left". Finally, with a slight shake, he returned to normal.

"It's just up ahead."

"Here's an idea...Why don't you drive!" Daxter snapped.

Hurridley, Jak took shifted over the driver's side, just as they narrowly missed crashing into a wall. A wall.. in the middle of the desert.

"It's in here. Through these walls."

"Uhhh Jak, do you no WHAT is those walls? It's a Maurauder camp!" Jak looked grimly at Daxter.

"That's too bad."

Jak 's whole body began to tense, and his skin started to glow blue again. His eyes turned yellow, and angelic wings sprouted from his shoulder blades. Daxter hurridley grabbed onto Jak's foot as he lifted into the air. Jak descended lightly on the ground in front of about sixty Maurauders.

Each of them were looking directly at Jak, weapons out and ready. Almost simultaneously, they rushed at him.

Jak had the Morph Gun out and ready. First, he launched a Gyro Burster into the air, letting the hailstorm of fire do it's job. Next, the Peace Maker was out. He tried not to kill Maurauders, knocking them out and leaving them. It was an easy battle. The Maurauders were sluggish and indefinite.

"It's right here." Jak muttered once the camp was free of conscious Maurauders.

"What is? What are we even doing here?" Daxter asked. The fight had thoroughly ruffled his feathers, er.. fur.

In answer, Jak moved back a few feet, and let fly a Plasmite RPG. He fired them in the same spot, until a sizable hole had appeared. Next he peered into it.

"See that pipe Dax? That's the Dark Eco that's going to the sewers."

With that, he turned into Dark Jak. His blond hair became gray, his sky blue eyes transformed into hideous beatle colored black ones. His whole skin grew pale, and his nails turned into foot long, vicious talons. He leapt into the whole and tore at the pipe. Once the steel had been ripped in two, he bent and twisted both ends of the pipes so that there was no way they would meet. With a sigh, Jak returned, pausing for a moment to gather himself again. Then, he scooped Daxter onto his shoulder, and opened the huge drawbridge that seperated the camp from the rest of the world.

1:00 PM

Torn sighed, and prepared to establish the connection to Spargus. For perhaps the fourth time in his life, he was nervous.

"Hello Jak?" Torn stared at monitor, cursing the marvels of technology.

"Torn." Jak's voice was flat and emotionless. When he'd been kicked out of Haven City the first time, he'd felt nothng but sheer rage and anger. Now he was calm. Torn looked sheepish.

"Look Jak, I'm sorry about kicking you out. I think you're right though, Shea a Kor-Clone!"

"Really?" Jak asked. "I never would have guessed."

"Look Jak, normally I wouldn't take bullshit, but you've got every right. I'm sorry."

His words softened Jak almost instantly. This was the first time he'd heard Torn apologize and mean it.

After a moment, Jak asked, "How's the city?"

"We blocked the sewers off, since the Kor-Clones are in there, according to you."

And then something inside Jak's furiously clicked. "The water!"

"What? What do you mean Jak? The water in the sewers is waste. We don't get our drinking water from there."

Jak recalled a time that seemed aeons ago. He and Sig had gone to the Pumping Station once. On the way back, Sig had explained how the water from the Pumping Station ran through an intricate system of pipes that ran through the sewers. The pipes remained independent of the other pipes in the sewers.

"Torn, put out an alarm! The water!"

Torn's eyes filled with comprehension. He was gone for about quarter of an hour, and then he returned.

"Done. A couple of people have used it for cooking, but the bacteria should be destroyed when it boils."

"Not bacteria Torn. I was talking about Dark Eco."

2:30 PM Haven City

Jak stopped the blue hoverbus and helped Kiera out. Daxter rolled his eyes with annoyance.

Torn and Ashelin were waiting to greet them. Torn stepped forward, eyes downcast.

"Jak, I'm sorry." He extended his hand, and Jak took it.

"Don't worry about it. I'm beginning to like the desert. Enough with that though, what do we have on the sewers?"

Torn shook his head hopelessly. "It's awful. Metal Heads are actually leaving the sewers now, and they're on a rampage. I put Sig on the frontlines and he says it's going bad. Jinx has got a few explosives to blow open the sewers."

"Why aren't the opening?" Kiera asked quizically.

"Metal Heads have locked them. Where they learned this, I've got no idea."

"Maybe I could help him, where is he?"

"Freedom HQ." Ashelin responded. "I'll give you a lift, I'm on the way there myself."

Torn suddenly grabbed Ashelin around her waist, elicting a seldom heard giggle which disolved into a moan as they kissed.

"Great! I get nothing but mush on the way here, and now this! Suddenly I miss Tess, where is she?"

"Gun Course, maybe you should go meet her."

Jak jumped onto an abandoned zoomer. There were a lot of these. Torn explained, "Everyone's home, with there families. If I were a civilian, that's where I'd be too."

2:35 Gun Course

Tess stood next to a mod that more than half he size. It was a bright orange. Jak knelt to hear what Tess was saying.

"I call it Flaming Rain. I programmed it to auto target Metal Heads, by identifying their deoxyribonucledicacid."

Jak raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry, let me put it in idiot terms." The ottsel giggled for a moment. "DNA. It's like the Gyro Burster, but it won't harm you."

Jak plucked the mod from her tiny paws. "Thanks."

LightEcoKing: Muhuhuhaha! I'll leave you in suspense there.

Remember this. The Precursors don't lie, nor do they make mistakes. Jak does.

Also, this is the second to last chapter. The next one should be pretty lengthy, and it will be the last. Jak makes his choice!


	7. A Last Confrontation

LightEcoKing: Well guys, I lied. There is one more chapter after this, but I'm posting it the same time as the other one so it doesn't really count does it? Whatever, we've got two more chaps left.

About the deoxyribonucledicacid, I finally remebered what DNA stood for and I couldn't wait to share it!

Chapter VII: Annihilation

2:15 PM Sewer Entrance

Jak stood anxiously at the entrance to the sewers, Daxter sitting on his shoulder playing with a miniscule pistol Tess had made him. Jinx and Kiera were working together at the entrance to the sewers, and Jak was feeling insanely jealous.

Finally, Jinx rose, grinning at his handiwork. "Well Jaky boy, it looks like we're done here. All ya need to do is ignite one of the bombs and the door should come down." Jinx chewed thoughtfully on his cigar.

Kiera walked shyly over to Jak and put her arms around him, causing Daxter to fall to the floor.

"Jak, now that I've got you I don't want to loose you." She kissed Jak lightly as Daxter got to his feet.

"I'll be okay. It's just a group of Metal Heads right?" Jak tried to look nonchalant, when in truth, he was terrified.

Torn stepped forward. "All the same Jak, I'm sending Sig and Pyrah in with you. As you know, they're good guys to have with you on a mission like this."

In the background, Jak heard Sig charging up his Peacemaker. "Watch out guys, she's gonna blow!"

Jak and Kiera jumped aside as a burst of yellow sped past them to the door. The impact resulted in a massive explosion and a Dark Eco mushroom cloud.

Pyrah brushed past Jak brusquely and muttered, "Let's go."

3:00 PM Sewers

For their first few minutes into the mission, Jak, Pyrah, and Sig. Daxter made attempts at small talk and chatter, but stopped once he saw no one was interested. Finally, Jak stopped.

"Look Pyrah, about me and Kiera-"

"Forget it Jak. It's not so much that you took Kiera when I was going out with her, it's that you didn't give me any explanation. I mean, we're supposed to be friends."

Jak was taken aback. He expected anger from Pyrah, but he just seemed sad. "I'm sorry Pyrah."

The raven-haired elf shook his head and muttered, "Forget it."

Sig gave a low whistle and said, "Sorry for interupting the heart to heart hour, but I think we got our prey right ahead."

Sig was right. Just a little further left were Metal Heads of all different sizes and shapes.

"Do those Metal Heads have guns?" Pyrah asked, more to himself than anyone else.

"Sure do. Dark Eco weapons no doubt." Sig replied.

Just a little too loud.

Every Metal Head in the vicinity aimed a weapon at them. Daxter screamed.

"Nice to have you." Jak looked around. The voice sounded oddly familiar.

"Shea." Jak breathed. The Metal Head in dusguise suddenly leapt upon Jak, a pistol in her palm, pointed at his throat.

"Well Jak, we meet again. I hope you had a nice time in the desert."

"Almost as nice as you'll be having when I shoot you full of-."

Shea cut his words of with an urgent kiss to the lips. She swung her full hair back and licked her crimson lips for a moment.

"Not even worth-"

For the second time that night, someone was interupted. Pyrah had cut off a lot more than Shea's words. He'd quietly taken out his disc launcher and beheaded the devious Kor-Clone.

Jak and Daxter slowly got to their feet. Daxter was busy trying to rid his orange coat of bloodstains. "Great this crap will never wash off."

Jak took his Morph Gun out slowly. He changed it to his newly attained Flaming Rain. "Which one of you is the leader?"

There was a deep, throaty growl, and then, "I am."

Jak stared unabashed at the crowd, waiting for his enemy. Sig whistled again, and it was starting to annoy Jak.

"That's a huge fella isn't it?"

The new Metal Head leader was big. Not in the oversized way Kor was (it would take him at least three months to grow to full size) but big just the same. He had teeth and talons which strongly resembled knives, a body about as big and wide as the Slam Dozer back in Spargus's garage, and limbs each one Sig's size. Daxter was quaking, stained fur forgotten.

"Mar, we meet again."

Jak grinned, in spite of his fear. "You can just call me Jak."

Suddenly, the giant Metal Head took a swipe at Jak, who, caught off guard, leapt back and dropped the Morph Gun. The useless steel clattered to the floor, leaving Jak defenseless.

"Do not be insolent. The Fara-Quan have inhabited this planet long before elves came into existence. We were created by the Dark Makers to combat the pitiful Precursors, just as, centuries later, the Precursors created elves as their minons."

The giant beast took a step closer, backing Jak into a wall. It walked like a panther, slowly but dangerously.

"I am Jurahat, and the pleasure of causing the death of our eternal enemy has been bestowed upon me."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jak say Pyrah with his gun.

"Jak CATCH!" Pyrah hurled the Morph Gun to Jak, who caught it and launched an Arc Wielder beam at Jurahat. The sudden blast caused an uproar, and Jurahat somehow tripped. Daxter leapt off Jak's shoulder, getting headshots with his tiny pistol, while Sig and Pyrah fought back to back against the wave if Metal Heads.

Hurridley, Jak changed the setting on his Morph Gun. When he had found Flaming Rain, he launched a capsule into the air.

Streaks of fire landed on Metal Heads everywhere. Jak took advantage of the confusion to take out about fifty with a well placed Plasmite RPG.

It was too late to save Pyrah.

The Krimzon Guard had been fighting valiantly. He had run out of disc-bullets and was using a Vulcan Fury. It was the Metal Head that pounced on him, or almost pounced om him. Daxter shot it mid-air, but the thing fell on Pyrah with all its dead weight.

Jak saw. "Get him out!" He yelled. "I've got a plan, now go!"

Still shooting, Sig kicked the Metal Head off of Pyrah and lifted him bodily into the air with an arm.

As Sig disappeared with Pyrah's limp body in his hands, Jak turned to face the Metal Heads. They were rushing towards him now, like street dogs when they see a juicy pound of steak lying inocently on the floor.

Unafraid, Jak surrendered to the Darkness. Dark Jak appeared, knocking out the closest Metal Heads with the staic electricity that occured at the beginning of his transformation. Deftly, Jak moved forward with a swift motion and punched the closest Metal Head. He followed it up by a Dark Blast.

Beams of electricity instantly destroyed every Metal Head in the sewers except for one. Jurahat was unaffacted.

The Metal Head leader lunged at him, but Jak was ready.

As Dark Eco from a million dead Metal Heads rushed into his cells, threatening to overpower him, Dark Jak unsheathed his sword with a shaky hand. He charged a Dark Strike, with the blade still in his hand, and the sword whirled through the air, until it found a mark, straight through Jurahat's skull gem.

LightEcoKing: Okay guys, bext chap is definetly the last one. We get to see what happens to Pyrah, and what is the huge choice that Jak has to make? Does is have to do with Kiera? Maybe Ashelin is somehow intertwined into all this. We will just have to found out! R&R my good peoples!


	8. Jak Decision

LightEcoKing: sighs This is it guys, the last chapter.

Light-Eco-Sage: Ok ok I get it. Deoxyribonucleic Acid, fine fine. And love and lust? Well I guess you could say that, I'll explain at the end.

DarkLightJak: Thanks for reviewing. Your story is great, so don't worry about reviews. Just keep writing, or I'll hunt you down.

Chapter VIII: Jak's Choice

5:00 PM Haven Hospital

Jak paced the hospital ward impatiently. Daxter sat snoring next to Kiera who looked tired and worried on one of those hard, plastic waiting room chairs. Torn was also pacing, and kept bumping into Jak, while Sig's large frame occupied an entire corner. Ashelin fidgeted anxiously with something until a doctor clad in white approached them.

"We've examined him from top to bottom. He's going to have to stay here for a few days, but he'll be fine."

There were loud cheers in the ward. Jak sighed with relief, and they all pushed past the doctor to see him.

Pyrah looked a mess. He had bandages all over his torso and face. The Metal Head had sunk his claws deep into his chest. One of his legs had snapped under the Metal Heads weight, and Sig had accidentally bumped Pyrah's head into a large steel pipe on the way out of the sewers.

"Thanks for coming." Pyrah said with a grin. He glanced at Jak. "You saved my life."

Jak grinned and shurgged sheepishly. "Only after you saved mine. How are you?"

"Well I've cracked three ribs, broken my leg, I was under cardiac arrest for a few hours, I had a concussion,"-here he glanced menacingly at Sig.

"But I'm alright."

Kiera stepped forward. "Good to hear it Pyrah."

Pyrah smiled back at her, a symbol of forgiveness.

6:35 Kiera's Apartment

Jak sat back, almost stuffed. Kiera smiled, delighted.

"Did you really like it?" Kiera asked gleefully. She had made dinner for her and Jak.

"It was delicious." Jak lied. In truth, her Flut-Flut Fillet was the wrost thing he'd ever tasted. The meat was golden brown on the outside, but the inside was frigid. The mashed potatoes tasted were very hard and tasteless. Jak felt that he'd rather go out on a date with Jurahat then eat another spoonful of her green beans.

"Well I'm glad you liked it. Look Jak, I need to ask you a question."

Jak nodded, looking puzzled. "What's up Kiera?"

"Jak, do you love me?"

Though the question was sudden, Jak answered readily. "Of course I do."

Kiera looked down at her plate, embarrased. "Well then I have something to give you..."

8:30 AM Kiera's Apartment

Jak stood in front of Kiera's stove clad in nothing more than boxers and an undershirt. He whistled as he scrambled a Flut-Flut egg (one was big enough for the both of them), and then walked to the fridge tp pull out some Yakow sausages.

Kiera stood in the entrance to the kitchen/dining room, watching with a bewildered expression. She had seen Jak as a sage-slayer, watched as he destroyed two Metal Head leaders, and annihilated countless armies of Metal Heads, and killed a homicidal cyborg bent on the destruction of the entire planet.

She had never seen him as he was now, in the kitchen, cooking and actually happy and at peace.

Kiera walked toward him, wearing a slik night gown and robe that barely covered her thighs.

"Hi Jak," she said as she neared the stove.

"Oh hey! I was just making breakfast. Do you like your sausages grilled or fried, because I can do both."

Kiera smiled in spite of herself. She hugged Jak, and kissed him.

"Um, Kiera, the eggs." Jak muttered through a gap in their morning make-out session.

"Oh!" She jumped quickly out of the way and allowed Jak to lad the steaming yellow eggs onto two plates.

They sat at a table, and talked. They hadn't really done much talking last night, but they made up for that.

Finally Kiera, who Jak realized hadn't really been eating much, looked up.

"Jak, I've got something to tell you."

"Shoot." Jak said, not worried in the least.

"I'm leaving. For good. I mean, probably north or something. I've had basically all I can stand of this city, you understand?"

Jak was at a loss for wards. It felt almost as he'd been slapped in the face.

"But Kiera, what about...us?"

Kiera's face brightened. "Well I was hoping you would come with me!"

Her face fell as she caught sight of Jak. "But of course you could always stay here. I mean, you are supposed to become king of Haven, and Spargus. I mean, I couldn't ask you to give that up. I mean, that just wouldn't be fair."

Jak noticed when Kiera was nervous or anxious, she said 'I mean' a lot.

"Kiera, I'll come with you if you want."

Kiera looked up at Jak, and suddenly leapt into his arms. Jak grinned sheepishly.

"We'd better go break the news to the others."

12:30 Haven City Entrance

The blue Krimzon Guard hoverbusses were still. Torn, Ashelin, Sig, Samos, and Jinx were talking at once. They were all trying to find reasons why Jak, Kiera, Daxter and Tess should stay. Tess had always wanted a small pink house in the country, and Daxter claimed that Jak wouldn't last a second without him. And they had packed the same day. There were two hoverbusses floating at the gate. One for the roup of people and their lugage, the other encompassing Kiera's essentials from her garage, and some of Tess's gun protoypes.

"How will you survuve out there? Where will you get money?" Ashelin asked. She was frantically trying to find reasons why they should stay.

"If there are any Metal Heads out there, Jak and I'll hunt them down and cash in their Skull Gems. Plus Kiera and Tess will be building zoomers and guns and stuff. We're gonna be alright."

Kiera nodded enthusiastically. "Sorry to be robbing you of your king."-she glanced at Torn "And your officer."

The good-bye's dragged on for an eternity, but finally, they ended. The four friends boarded the hoverbus and waved as the disappeared behind the city gates.

LightEcoKing: IT'S OVER! That was Jak's choice guys. No Ashelin wasn't involved, but whatever. I guess you could say love or lust. Lust for power that is! Get it? Yeah I know I suck at endings. The story is over people, go read something else.

looks around to make sure no one is still reading

Little do they know, a secret is in the words!


End file.
